Archived: The Park Medical Group

Updated 8 May 2015

The Park Medical Group has two practices in the Fawdon and Kingston Park area of Newcastle Upon Tyne. The practice provides services to approximately 11,800 patients from the two locations;

• Fawdon Park Road, Fawdon Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 2PE
• Kingston Park Avenue, Kingston Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 2HB

We visited both of these locations as part of the inspection of the practice.

The area covered by both surgeries includes Gosforth, Fawdon, Kingston Park, Kenton, Blakelaw, Woolsington, Dinnington and Brunton.

Both surgeries are located in purpose built premises with patient facilities on the ground floor. There is patient parking at Fawdon and disabled parking for patients at both sites. There was short term parking close to the surgery at Kingston Park for patients. There are disabled WCs, wheelchair and step free access.

The practice has six GP partners, three salaried GPs, one nurse prescriber, four practice nurses and two healthcare assistants. There is a practice manager and 16 staff who carry out reception and administration duties. The practice is a training practice.

Surgery opening times at Fawdon are between 8:30am and 12:30pm, then 1:30pm until 6:00pm Monday to Friday. Opening times at Kingston Park are 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 6:00pm every weekday, except Wednesday, when the surgery is open 8:30am until 1:00pm. There is extended opening hours at Kingston Park on a Monday evening until 9:15pm.

The practice provides services to approximately 11,800 patients of all ages. The practice is commissioned to provide services within a Personal Medical Services (PMS) Agreement with NHS England.

The index of multiple deprivation (IMD) placed the practice in band five for deprivation, where one is the highest deprived area and six is the least deprived.

The service for patients requiring urgent medical attention out of hours is provided by the 111 service and Northern Doctors Urgent Care.

Updated 8 May 2015

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at The Park Medical Group on 25 February 2015. The practice has two locations registered with CQC; Fawdon Park Road and Kingston Park Avenue. We visited both of these locations as part of the inspection. The practice was rated as good for all domains and population groups.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents and near misses. There were comprehensive safety systems in place.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and any further training needs had been identified.

• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Data showed that patients rated the practice higher than others for several aspects of care. We saw that staff were considerate with patients, treated them with understanding and maintained confidentiality.

• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.

• Patients we spoke with and those who completed CQC comment cards indicated they felt they could obtain appointments, including urgent appointments, when needed. The practice operated a nurse practitioner triage system and a rapid access clinic. The practice were aware of the needs of the local population and there was good continuity of care.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which they acted on.

We saw one area of outstanding practice:

• The practice had continually monitored and audited the appointment system over several years to ensure that patients could obtain timely appointments with a GP which suited their needs.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice had a chronic disease management group where care for patients with long term conditions and QOF indicators were reviewed. All patients with long term conditions were invited for a six monthly review with the appropriate health professional and received interim reviews where needed. Medication reviews were performed on a regular basis by the GPs who then set the review intervals as required. The nurse practitioner ran weekly diabetic clinics. High risk patients in this group had a care plan in place.

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice offered baby and anti-natal clinics. Nationally reported data for 2013/14 showed the practice offered child development checks at intervals that were consistent with national guidelines. They offered routine immunisations for babies and children under five, during clinic appointments. An Arabic speaking interpreter was used at the baby clinic at Kingston Park as there were high numbers of Arabic families in the area. The practice met with health visitors on a monthly basis to discuss safeguarding issues. The practice had appointments available after school hours.

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice had a higher than average amount of patients over the age of 85, 3.1% compared to the national average of 1.8%. They had taken up an enhanced service, which is a service other than an essential service, for the frail elderly and 2% of this group had a care plan in place which was reviewed every three months. Hospital admissions and accident and emergency attendances for this group were monitored and discussed at MDT meetings. All patients over the age of 75 had a named GP.

The practice triage and rapid access system ensured same day access for those patients who needed it and advice could be given to those who did not wish to travel to the surgery. Home visits were offered where appropriate.

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of the working-age people (including those recently retired and students). The needs of the working age population, those recently retired and students had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services they offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care. Appointments were available outside normal working hours; there was a late evening surgery on a Monday evening until 9:15pm at the Kingston Park surgery. The triage system allowed working patients to speak to a practice nurse or GP on the telephone. Routine appointments were bookable up to three weeks in advance.

The practice offered appointments and repeat prescriptions on-line. Repeat prescriptions could be ordered in person at the surgery or by phone. The practice offered a wide range of health promotion information and screening which reflected the needs for this age group. The practice offered contraceptive advice and GPs could fit contraceptive devices. A GP at the practice had an interest in musculoskeletal medicine and sports injuries and was able to offer advice and treatment to patients lessening the need for outside referral.

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia). The practice worked closely with mental health services. The mental health lead for the practice regularly liaised with the mental health team attached to the surgery. There was access to counselling, primary care mental health workers and psychologists who provided services from both surgeries and there were also referrals onwards to services for those experiencing poor mental health.

The practice supported care homes with patients who suffer with dementia and had a number of patients with dementia who lived supported in the community. There had been a learning session held recently for clinical staff to raise dementia awareness and to improve diagnosis rates.

Updated 8 May 2015

The practice is rated as good for the population group of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The practice had a high number of patients with learning disabilities; there were a number of care homes in the area for these groups of patients. One of the GPs was the designated lead for patients with learning disabilities and had received specialist training in this area. Regular health checks for this group of patients were carried out. The surgery were working with ‘quality health checkers’ who are a team of people, some with learning disabilities who visit the surgery and give advice and guidance on how the practice can improve its services for this group of patients

The practice worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of vulnerable people. The practice had sign-posted vulnerable patients to various support groups and third sector organisations. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in and out of hours.